West Ham United have been linked with a shock move to sign N’Golo Kante from Al Ittihad this summer.
News broke late Thursday night that Julen Lopetegui wants to bring N’Golo Kante to West Ham this summer, with an apparent £20 million bid having been lodged.
It has already been well-documented that the Hammers head coach wants to bolster his central midfield ranks this summer.
That was even before Flynn Downes left to join Southampton, and after the 25-year-old’s exit we are now worryingly light in the engine room.
Lopetegui cannot afford to head into the new Premier League campaign without bringing in some competition and cover for the likes of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek.
In fact, a big upgrade is required on the latter.
Kante would certainly fit into that category, but can we really sign him? And is the France international a realistic transfer target?
Major N’Golo Kante to West Ham United update
The 33-year-old midfielder has been one of the best and most steady performers in world football over the past seven or eight years.
Kante joined Al Ittihad from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, and he has kept himself incredibly fit.
The way sports science has evolved over the past five years or so means that footballers can continue playing at the highest level until they are 40 at least now – if they look after themselves.
The former Chelsea star is still at the very top of his game, and I’d love him at West Ham for a couple of years.
But what’s being said about the Hammers’ chances of signing him now.
According to a report from The Athletic, Kante is actually happy at Al Ittihad, and is all set to join their training camp ahead of the new season following a post-Euro 2024 break.
That seems like the death knell for West Ham really doesn’t it.
Ornstein also suggests that West Ham’s bid was in fact worth £15 million, not £20 million, and Al Ittihad are demanding £25 million for the tenacious tackling midfielder.
The other problem is that he signed a three-year deal with Al Ittihad last summer, thought to be worth around £86 million (BBC).
That works out to around £550k-a-week, so the France international would obviously have to take a massive pay-cut, if he is to move to the London Stadium.
I personally believe that it’s highly doubtful that West Ham will sign N’Golo Kante this summer.
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